Urbanization US History

Movin’ on Up The boom in industrialization lead to a rise in population in cities People move into cities People move from the country into the cities Many new immigrants chose to live in cities Technology causes migration The invention of the steel plow and the reaper makes farm work easier, thus needing fewer people 200,000 African Americans move from the south to the north More jobs in manufacturing Urbanization - The growth or increase in cities

Problems in Cities Housing New city dwellers needed to live somewhere near their work Many people lived in the city center Housing is limited Landlords wanted to increase the number of people they could fit into a smaller area Rise of tenements Cramped Unsafe 1879 New York sets laws guaranteeing basic safety and sanitation

Other Problems Sanitation Crime Fire Many cities did not have sewers or indoor plumbing There was no organized garbage collection Horses produced several pounds of manure Crime The increase in people lead to an increase in crime We begin to see established police forces during this time Fire Benjamin Franklin organized the first fire fighting force in Philadelphia in 1736 Most were volunteers The Great Chicago fire in 1871 burned for 24 hours destroying 17,500 buildings